Start of the NWA route ‘Building blocks of matter and fundaments of space and time’

Building Blocks – the curiosity-driven route within the National Science Agenda par excellence – focuses on the fundamental physical, mathematical, and possibly philosophical laws behind the functioning of the universe: from which particles is it built up in the small, how has it developed in the large, what are the underlying principles, and where are the limits of our knowledge, if any?

We combine theoretical research with experiments, including the development of new measuring instruments. In addition, we find it important to explain our work to society and to train future generations. In the broad palette of this route, so far two concrete missions stand out: the Einstein Telescope (possibly to be built in Limburg) and the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena.

This Route is exemplary for the unexpected utility of fundamental research: the search for the foundations of space, time, matter, and knowledge has had an unprecedented social impact in the past (eg computer, microchips, World Wide Web, and Wifi).